Today, the conventional fertilizer distributor is being used in other agricultural applications such as dispensing and distributing herbicides and pesticides as well as being used for applying granular nitrogen and top dressings and the like. In these extended uses, that is uses such as applying herbicides and pesticides, it becomes very important to be able to control with more precision the amount of material being distributed to the soil. If this is not done, and an over-application is made, then this can result in harm and damage to both the soil and the crop.
Often it is found that conventional fertilizer distributors do not have the precision to accurately control the flow rate of material needed for applications of pesticides and herbicides, especially in the lower range where application rates can vary from zero to twenty pounds of material per acre. One principal reason for this is that the particles of certain materials are very tiny and minute in comparison to fertilizer, and conventional fertilizer distributors are not designed to handle such small particles. Therefore, there is a real need for a multipurpose agricultural distributor that includes a precision flow control mechanism, but which is not so expensive as to prohibit the purchase of such by farmers.